Lindner interferes in Habeck's field - FDP also declares war on fracking and nuclear power plants
Created: 12/29/2022, 11:48 am
By: Sebastian Horsch
Who is the boss?
Christian Lindner has some suggestions for improving Chancellor Scholz and the traffic lights.
© dpa
Christian Lindner is also calling for a turning point in economic policy.
The FDP leader also interferes in the policy areas of the coalition partners - a declaration of war.
Munich/Berlin – “It is better not to govern than to govern incorrectly”: With these words, after the 2017 federal election, FDP leader Christian Lindner broke the Jamaica alliance with the Union and the Greens, which had been envisaged at the time.
Four years later, the SPD, Greens and FDP came together in the traffic light coalition.
Today Lindner is finance minister.
However, one cannot shake the feeling that he fears that this coalition is also heading in the wrong direction.
In an internal paper - which of course did not stay internal for long, but ended up with the
FAZ
- Lindner had experts from his company compile what needs to change in Germany so that the country can play in the top league as a business location again.
Their answer: a lot.
Like Scholz, Linder calls for a change in era: Finance Minister interferes in economic policy
In line with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a turning point is also being demanded in financial and economic policy.
Recently, high energy prices and inflation rates, deficits in modernization and the lack of skilled workers have weakened Germany as a business location.
Better incentives for investments, a stronger supply of skilled workers and the removal of bureaucratic hurdles are therefore necessary.
In addition to tax measures such as higher research funding and an investment premium, more flexible working hours and continued operation of the nuclear power plants beyond April 2023 are also "technically" advocated.
On the other hand, the paper clearly rejects higher taxes for the rich through “energy solos”, a higher top tax rate or the introduction of a wealth tax.
Instead, Lindner and his family are in favor of reducing income tax.
And transfer payments would have to be coordinated in such a way that the incentives to work would be strengthened.
(Traffic lights ahead of big tasks - you can find out what the SPD, Greens and FDP are planning in our political newsletter.)
While Bavaria's CSU Finance Minister Albert Füracker reacted enthusiastically ("crises are fought with tax cuts, not tax increases"), some of Lindner's cabinet colleagues are likely to recognize the paper for what it is - a declaration of war.
Because calls for lifting the ban on fracking, for longer nuclear lifetimes or a longer suspension of CO2 price increases not only exceed Lindner's responsibility as finance minister - they are just as red rags for his coalition partners from the SPD and the Greens as a reduction in income tax.
SPD counters FDP politician Lindner: "Atomic and fracking are not freedom energies"
And so angry reactions do not last long.
"What we don't need are proposals that the finance minister pulled out of dusty FDP campaign boxes over the holidays," says Andreas Audretsch, deputy leader of the Greens in the Bundestag, the
mirror
.
"Atomic and fracking are not energies of freedom," said SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch.
This annoyance should not be entirely unintentional.
The FDP is having a hard time asserting itself in the government, and nervousness is growing in view of sensitive defeats in state elections in the past year.
Between the SPD and the Greens, the small party is worried about losing its brand core.
In fact, the liberals have already been held jointly liable for the traffic light's failed gas allocation plans.
Some supporters of the FDP also resent the fact that there are still corona measures in Germany.
In addition, the constant tugging about the debt brake, with its defender Lindner not always looking good.
From the point of view of the FDP, it might not do any harm to hammer in a few pegs.
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